Oleksandr
Syrsky accused the local Ukrainian battalion commander of incompetence.
Defenders say they were left on the frontline without
support by a higher command that wants to make them scapegoats.
Russia Shows Video of Drone It Says Ukraine Fired at Putin Residence
Days after claiming without
evidence that Kyiv had launched 91 drones at Putin’s Valdai residence,
the Kremlin has published a video purporting to show a drone shot down
in the attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Dec. 30, 2025. (Photo by Mikhail METZEL / POOL / AFP)
Russia’s defense ministry published a video Wednesday of a downed drone that it says Ukraine launched at President Vladimir Putin’s residence in north-west Russia this week – a claim Kyiv has denied as a “lie.”
Russia
has called it a “terrorist attack” and a “personal attack” against
Putin, saying it will toughen its negotiation stance in Ukraine war
talks.
The European Union has also said the video was an attempt to “derail” peace efforts.
The
video, shot at night in the dark, showed a damaged drone lying in snow
in a forested area. The ministry said the alleged attack was “targeted,
carefully planned and carried out in stages.”
Russia
has not said where Putin was at the time, saying the attack was
launched on the night of December 28-29 at Putin’s home in the Novgorod
region. His residences are normally shrouded in secrecy.
The
defense ministry said the attack started around 7:00 p.m. on December 28
and was a “mass” drone launch at Putin’s residence, but said the
longtime leader’s home was not damaged.
It also published a video with a man it called a witness, saying he was a local villager from the settlement of Roshchino.
According to sources
within Ukrainian intelligence, Tuapse Oil Refinery’s primarily oil
processing unit, along with a nearby marine oil terminal, were struck in
the early hours of New Year’s Eve.
The EU transferred the previously announced €2.3 billion to Ukraine’s budget account, as
another tranche under the Ukraine Facility, the EU program for Ukraine’s recovery and macrofinancial
stability.
Ukraine has secured creditor approval to eliminate
its GDP-linked warrants, a move the finance ministry says will save
billions and reduce fiscal volatility during post-war recovery.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said US President
Donald Trump has promised to help Ukraine with air defensiie systems after
being briefed on the situation in Ukraine.
Source:Zelenskyy during an online press conference on 30 December, as reported byEuropean Pravda
Details:Zelenskyy said that he and Trump discussed strengthening Ukraine's air defenses during their meeting.
Quote:"A separate second block that we had with
President Trump was that I really need air defence. I really need
NASAMS missiles. I really need PAC-3 missiles for Patriots. And I don't
want to say publicly what our situation is right now, but I showed and
demonstrated it to the American side."
More details:Zelenskyy said that "President Trump said he would help me".
Zelensky has stated that he has discussed air defense for Ukraine with Donald Trump.
Zelensky has asked for more air defense, with an emphasis on PAC-3 and NASAMS missiles and said that Donald Trump has promised to help him.
Zelensky has also stated that it would be desirable for Donald Trump to travel to Ukraine by plane, rather than to Poland and then by train to Ukraine.
The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended an operation to seize a “shadow fleet” tanker after the Russian flag was painted on the ship’s hull.
WSJ: U.S. halts raid on shadow fleet tanker after Russian flag appears
Details:US officials stated thatUSCoast
Guard vessels had been shadowing the large oil tanker in the Atlantic
Ocean for over 10 days, staying at a distance of about half a mile
(around 800 metres).
Special forces were fully prepared to board the vessel by force
but were awaiting a green light from the White House. The situation
became more complicated after a crudely painted Russian flag appeared on
the hull of the Bella 1.
Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Coast Guard
may seize vessels that are stateless or suspected of fraud. When the
pursuit began, US authorities believed the Bella 1 was sailing under a
false flag and therefore subject to a court order for seizure.
Experts warn that if the vessel has in fact been legally
re-registered in Russia, a forcible takeover would amount to a serious
diplomatic escalation. Washington is concerned that Russia may have
exploited legal loopholes and retroactively registered the tanker
without inspections in order to provoke a confrontation. The US is now
trying to clarify the tanker's status through diplomatic channels.
The Bella 1 is owned by a Turkish company and was placed under US
sanctions for transporting Iranian oil on behalf of designated
terrorist organisations, including Hezbollah, the Yemeni Houthis and
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The tanker is considered part
of the so-called shadow fleet used to transport sanctioned oil from
Russia, Iran and Venezuela.
Background:
Last weekend, the Bella 1 made a sudden 180-degree turn to avoid inspection and departed at full speedawayfrom the coast of Venezuela.
On 17 December, US President Donald Trump announced a full blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers.
On 10 December, US forces operating in the Caribbean took full control of an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.
Donald Tusk has stated that the U.S.has agreed to send troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees, either along the border or along the line of contact.
Polish PM says US has agreed to deploy troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Photo: Getty Images
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said
on Tuesday 30 December that the United States has agreed, as part of
security guarantees for Ukraine after a peace deal is reached, to deploy
its troops to the Russian-Ukrainian border or the line of contact.
Source: Tusk after talks with leaders of key
European countries, the Prime Minister of Canada, the heads of European
institutions and the NATO Secretary General, as reported by Polish news
portalRMF24
